Page 102 of The Edge of Summer
Her eyes—glittering and blue like the lake on a midsummer’s day—shift as she assesses me. “What changed?”
“Nothing.Everything. I was scared before. After Kristina, it was hard for me to trust anyone. I guess somewhere along the way, I forgot how. But not having you isn’t an option, Delilah. You are worth every bit of fear.”
“What are you saying?” she whispers.
“I’m saying that I want you to be mine, and I want everyone to know it.”
As she takes in my words, she nods. “I’ll be yours if you’ll be mine,” she says.
I don’t even have to consider my answer. My lips stretch into a grin. “I’ve been yours for a long time now. I just didn’t want to admit it.”
She pushes up onto the tips of her toes and throws her arms around the back of my neck. When our lips meet, it feels distinctly like coming home after a long month away. I wrap myself around her, wholly content with never letting her go.
Eventually, we’re forced to pull apart. Delilah’s eyes shine as she looks at me. “There’s one thing I have to ask you.”
I nod. “Anything.”
“Were you the one who gave Carole my portfolio?”
I rub the back of my neck with my hand, somewhat sheepish. “Will you be mad if I say yes?”
She shakes her head. “How did you even get it?”
“That day we took your car to Finn’s shop, your bag tipped over on the floor of my truck. You didn’t realize, but your camera card fell out.” I tighten my arm around herwaist. “I’ll admit, I was curious. After I saw what was on it, I figured the committee deserved to see it.”
This causes her to laugh. “I want to be mad at you, but I’m finding it very difficult at the moment.”
I grin. “You can be mad at me later. Right now, I just want to hold you.”
She leans closer, but then her eyes narrow. “Wait a second. What about when you got my headlight fixed? How did you get my keys?”
“That one was Parker. I came by that morning to try to reason with you—” Delilah rolls her eyes, and I give her waist a playful squeeze. “And he was sitting out on the porch. He gave them to me.”
Her eyes soften as she takes this in. I can see her mind trying to put the pieces together; to reconcile that action with the brother she thought hated her. But he never hated her—not truly.
“Any other pressing questions?” I tease.
She laughs. “No, I think that’s it.” She glances quickly toward the house and then back to me. “We should probably head inside or someone is going to come looking for us.”
I cup her face in my hands, still in disbelief that this woman is mine. “Let them look, pretty girl,” I reply. “We can put on a hell of a show.”
The smile she gives me then could outshine the sun. In this moment, Delilah is radiance personified, and I want to bask in her glow for the rest of my goddamnlife.
Four days after the exhibition, I park my truck in Delilah’s driveway at the end of another work day. I let myself inside, and Riot bounds toward the front door, his favourite ball stuffed in his mouth. I kick off my shoes and then kneel to greet him properly, my fingers sinking into the fur around his collar.
My dog has been having the time of his life hanging out at Delilah’s. The backyard is nowhere near the size of mine, but the extra attention from Sophia and the extra treats from Delilah more than make up for it. Even Parker has taken a shine to him.
When I walk into the kitchen, I find Delilah hunched over the island, half-heartedly chewing on a slice of pizza. “Hey, Shutterbug,” I say.
Delilah blinks. Then she abandons her pizza and falls into my open arms. “Welcome home,” she says. “We have cold pizza and even colder beer.”
The way my chest tightens as her lips form the wordhomewould have frightened me a few months ago. Now I can’t imagine finding my home anywhere but with her.
I chuckle. “Sounds perfect.”
She presses a kiss to my chest, right over the heart that beats solely for her, and then she draws back. My hand sweeps through her hair, brushing the strands back from her face. “How was work?” she asks.
“It was a nice, slow day,” I say. “How was the first day of school? How’s Parker?”
